What is Counselling?

What is Counselling?

For many of us there are times when life becomes difficult to manage, and we may find ourselves feeling overwhelmed, lost or stuck in an unhelpful place. It takes great courage to acknowledge that you are struggling and to ask for help. Talking to a counsellor can help you explore the areas of your life you may be struggling with, in a confidential and non-judgemental space.

Sometimes we can feel stuck in life, often due to unresolved feelings or issues from our past or present circumstances. Counselling can help us understand these difficulties better, so that we feel able to make different choices and bring about change to our lives. As your counsellor I will support you in identifying any unhelpful patterns that may be reoccurring for you, and help you develop tools to overcome these.

How can counselling help me?

Counselling provides a safe and confidential space for you to explore any difficulties that you may be facing in life. As your counsellor, I will be alongside you throughout the process of therapy, where we will work together to explore your thoughts, feelings and behaviours, helping you develop a better understanding of yourself. Counselling can also help us explore and work through any relationship or communication difficulties we may be experiencing. This process will be led by you and we will focus on what is important to you. It might feel a bit uncomfortable to start with, which is perfectly normal: you may be talking about things that you have never have talked about before, which can leave us feeling vulnerable. I will be sensitive to your feelings around this, and we will always work at a pace that feels comfortable to you so that you are supported in having control over your counselling sessions.

The type of counselling which I am trained in puts emphasis on the importance of the relationship between therapist and client. This means that I will aim to build an open and trusting relationship with you, so that together we can look at ways for you to manage your life differently and support you in making any changes that feel important to you.

FAQs

How do I contact you about therapy?

If you are interested in finding out more about working with me, there are a number of ways to get in touch. There is a contact form on this website, which will send me an email that I will respond to. You can also email me directly at jade@autumnwillowcounselling.co.uk or call me on my phone number. If I am not available when you call, please leave a message and I will get back to you as soon as I can.

What happens after I contact you about therapy?

Once you have made contact with me, I will seek to answer any queries you may have about the therapy process, and if you would like to arrange a free phone call to discuss further then we can do so. This is usually to help me find out a little more about what you’re seeking from therapy, and gives you an opportunity to find out more about how I work and what you can expect.

How much does therapy cost?

My fee is £60 for an hour session. I offer an initial phone call free of charge to ensure that you feel confident about both the process of therapy, and my style of working.

I ask that payments are made before each session, via bank transfer. I will share my bank details with you if we decide to work together.

How many therapy sessions will I need?

Therapy will be different for everyone, and each individual will want something different from counselling. Some clients may want space to explore themselves on a deeper level, whereas other will have a specific goal in mind that they want to achieve from counselling. What is important is that you feel you are getting what you need from our sessions, and that we are working at a pace that you are comfortable with.

There is no minimum number of sessions and you can choose to end our contract at any time. We will review the sessions together regularly so that I can check in with how you are feeling about the direction of our counselling work.

Can I have therapy online or in-person?

It is entirely up to you! I am able to offer online or telephone sessions as required, whether this be a permanent setup for our sessions, or to enable you to access sessions remotely due to work or other commitments.
I work from a confidential, tranquil space in the centre of Basingstoke, which is where we will meet for our sessions should you choose to work face-to-face.

If we decide to work online together, then I will ask that you commit to finding a private, confidential space for the duration of our sessions where you cannot be overheard, in order to maintain confidentiality.

How are sessions booked?

Sessions can be booked in advance at a regular, fixed weekly or fortnightly time, or can be negotiated at the end of each session. I try to be as flexible as possible to accommodate my clients’ busy schedules, however due to the need for ethical therapeutic consistency, and practical necessity on my part, it is unlikely we will be able to work together if you’re unable to commit to at least fortnightly sessions.

Registered with BACP

What is Counselling?